MERRY CHRISTMAS! I wanted to give you guys a Christmas a present, so here it is! It's shorter than other chapters, but it's our last bit of set up before our FINAL chapter on Friday. Enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen

Promises

Gray folded his arms over his chest as he leaned back against a tree, biting his lip in anxiousness as he waited.

He'd asked Gajeel to take over on guard duty while he 'went to the bathroom,' casting Lucy a look when he caught sight of her in the hallway in passing before going to their usual meeting spot in the woods.

The blonde had gotten his message it seemed, fallen leaves and twigs crunching beneath her light steps as she came to stand before him. Her eyes were red and puffy, but he assumed that it was because of Levy's disappearance, so he didn't question her on the matter.

Meeting in broad daylight like they were poised a major risk, so Gray got straight to the point, his voice fully of urgency, "I need you to listen carefully, okay? Because we can't screw this up. Not when we're this close."

"Of course," she nodded her head, her brows cinched in concern and confusion at the imperativeness of his tone.

"Go to Precht and tell him who I really am."

Her eyes widened as she hissed, "What?"

"That's the only way all of this is going to work," he ground out, leaving no room for argument. "They moved all of those people out of that bunker, so when the police came to investigate, they didn't find a thing, which means that Natsu might be charging in here all on his own later today. If I get caught and taken to wherever they're keeping everyone else, I'll find some way to let Natsu know where I am, then he can get that detective he's been working with, and-"

"What the hell are you thinking?" she cut him off, desperate and angry tears gathering in her eyes. "After what happened to Levy, there's no way I could-"

"You have to, Lucy," Gray cut off her protests. "If he finds out that I'm Natsu's friend, I'll find all of those people who disappeared from that bunker. They're the most crucial evidence right now. You need to blow my cover in order for all of this to come to light."

She bit her lip and anxiously shook her head, "I can't. You'll get hurt. You…you could die."

"I won't," he reaffirmed. "I promise I'll be fine, Lucy. And even if I can't do anything to save myself, Natsu's coming tonight. That idiot's too stubborn to let me die. He'll find a way to get me out. Get us both out."

His attempt at lightening the mood didn't have any affect, the blonde's features still troubled as she swallowed heavily before softly breathing out, "Fine. I'll do it, but…you have to do me a favor, too, Gray."

He waited with furrowed brows for her to tell him what she thought he'd be able to do for her while he was locked away.

"I think everything's that's happened these past few days set Precht off. He wants to have the wedding at midnight."

His eyes widened, but before he could say anything, the blonde spoke again.

"I'm not going to fight against him. I'll let him proceed with the wedding."

It was his turn to heatedly hiss, "What?"

"Levy found my phone for me. I've experimented with a few things, and I figured out to how secure it to my leg with bandages. I'll record everything he does to me before he…before…" she couldn't finish the phrase 'before he takes my clothes off,' but the horror and despair on Gray's face let her know that he'd gotten the message. She swallowed heavily again before she finished, "That'll be the most solid evidence we can get."

The raven haired boy huffed out a heavy breath, taking an eager step towards her, "Lucy-"

"He let me go once, Gray," she cut him off, thinking of when Natsu and his friends had stolen her from the van. "He won't let me go again. I know that he'll try to…to have me at all costs."

Gray wasn't one to give up so easily, shifting angrily on his feet with his jaw clenched. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his anger from getting out, but it was blatantly audible in his voice, "Have you lost your mind?"

"No," she firmly pressed, a bit of bite in her tone. She'd had countless people in Zentopia accuse her of insanity, and she wasn't about to let one of her friends think he could get away with attributing her decisions to the very same thing, "I'm perfectly sane. After all these years, I finally have a clear idea of what I can do to take him down for good." She took her own eager step forward, leaving no room for argument as she began, "You said that Natsu's coming, right? Once Precht and I are alone in his room, I'll get him to confess to everything I can. Just before he gets…" she inhaled to calm her shaking hands, "…before he gets what he wants, you guys can barge in and save me."

"That's cutting it way too damn close," he hissed, his irises still shaking in anger.

"I have to do this, Gray," the blonde insisted. "When Natsu first saved me, I came back here because I didn't want to be afraid of them anymore. I don't want to run away. I swore I'd tear this place from the ground with my own hands. To me, this whole thing has never been about just getting out of here on my own. Everything I've done, I've done for Sting and my mom…for Romeo and…and now for Levy." She blinked to clear her eyes of her tears, clenching her hands into fists of determination at her sides, "That's why I'm going to end this place at all costs."

Lucy could only stare at her father blankly as he set the large box containing her wedding dress next to her on the bed, removing the lid and unfolding the tissue paper around the dress to give her a view of the lace-covered bodice. It was the first time she was seeing the gown, and from what she'd already seen, she assumed that it resembled the black, lace gown she'd worn during her proclamation ceremony.

Precht had picked it for her without giving her a say, assuring her that the dress would suit both their tastes. He'd hummed in satisfaction, claiming that he couldn't wait to see how lovely she would look in the dress he'd chosen for her.

Jude took a seat on the bed on the other side of the box, looking between her and the dress with a proud smile on his face as he hummed, "Your mother will be so happy when she sees you during the ceremony tonight. I'm sure Sting will be happy, too."

The blonde almost snapped back at him that such would not be the case, her spite for him over how he was in the process of ruining every dream and desire she'd ever had that concerned marriage nearly winning over her rationality. But she bit her tongue, only giving a warm smile and humming softly in agreement as she nodded her head.

She couldn't have her father loosing trust in her now, not when they were so close to fulfilling their plans.

She pitied him for how oblivious he was the horror and disgust of the situation, but her anger towards him was greater. Once she and her friends had succeeded in taking down the church, he'd lose everything. Like she'd once vowed, she'd never forgive him for what he'd done to her and her mother, and she hoped he wallowed in that guilt for the rest of his life.

Layla swiped at the tears that had been sliding down her cheeks as an ambulance came driving up the road in front of Zentopia's sanitarium, the vehicle pulling to a stop only a short distance away from the bench she'd seated herself upon. She'd been let out of her room to get a breath of fresh air, and her emotions had gotten the better of her, her eyes swimming with tears without her volition.

She wanted to see Lucy, and she wanted her husband back.

But neither of those things were possible at the moment, and she didn't know if the later would ever be possible. The Jude that came to visit her every day and tell her proud tales about their daughter completing her training wasn't the man she'd fallen in love with. With the things he done to Lucy, he no longer had the right to call himself the father of their children.

She was drawn from her sorrows when she heard a muffled scream, preceded by a relatively loud bang considering she'd been seated in silence before. Her eyes widened when weak pounding followed the other sounds, her gaze shooting about to pinpoint the source.

It was coming from the ambulance.

Layla shot to her feet, going closer despite the voice in her head telling her that she should stay out of it. Whoever was inside obviously needed help, and the driver had gone inside the sanitarium. With those factors driving her, she figured that she was the only one who could help, a gasp slipping through her lips as she unlatched the swinging doors on the back of the vehicle.

A girl, probably no older than fourteen or fifteen and with blue hair so dark it almost looked purple, was collapsed on her stomach on the floor of the ambulance, clearly having toppled from her bed in an attempt to reach for the latch on the door.

The blond woman's hands shot to the girl's cheeks as she looked her over with wide eyes, "Are you okay, dear?"

The teen pushed herself up to desperately connect her eyes with Layla's, her hands shaking as the found the woman's shoulders, "P-please…"

Layla nodded in encouragement as the girl struggled to huff out her message.

"…call…my br-brother."

"What happened to you?"

Speaking seemed to get easier for the girl the she talked, though her voice was still hoarse and strained as she rasped, "They…they brought me here…against my will."

Layla's heart ached for the young girl when tears gathered in her eyes, gently hugging the teen her chest and rubbing soothing circles on her back, "It'll be okay, sweetie."

"Nat…Nat-su…D-Drag…neel."

The blonde woman pulled back, her brows furrowed in confusion, "Natsu Dragneel? Is that your brother's name?"

Upon receiving a shaky nod, she asked, "Do you remember his number, dear?"

'The wedding's at midnight. I'm following through with my plan. I'll see you there.'

After he'd sent Natsu his final text, Gray did a factory restart of Wendy's phone, ridding it of all of its saved information, including the texts he'd sent while in the church. He didn't think he'd be using it again, and just in case anyone happened upon it now, they wouldn't be able to tell who it belonged to, nor would their plans be found out.

He tucked it back onto its ledge in the vent for safekeeping, sliding the grate back over the hole before turning to exit his stall.

He'd only taken two steps beyond the door when he was met with a shovel to the temple, Loke's glasses flying from his face, and this time, the frames shattered as they hit the floor.

Everything went white for a moment, but when his vision cleared he found himself rumpled on the ground, Jude standing above him with the weapon in his grasp, his features furious, "How dare you try to seduce my daughter into doing evil?!"

Gray ducked his head between his arms when the man made to swing the shovel down upon him again, but the blow never came.

"That's enough, Jude."

The raven haired boy lifted his head at the voice, finding that Precht and Lucy were there too, the trio accompanied by a pair of Zentopia brethren. He hadn't even heard them enter the bathroom, but he supposed they must've been quiet on purpose, to catch him by surprise.

He pressed a hand to his injured temple, letting out a hiss when his fingers quickly became coated with blood. He could feel it running down the side of his face too, and his hair was surely matted to his skin with the liquid.

He tried not to look at Lucy, but it was hard not to look at her and try to reassure her when she looked as terrified for him as she did. Her hands were visibly shaking at her sides although he could tell she was trying to control their quivering. The tears gathering in her eyes were what had him really concerned though, and he supposed they were lucky that he seemed to be the only one looking her way.

The blonde blinked away her tears and forced her voice to be even through the tightness of her throat as she lifted a hand to point, "He said he hid a cellphone in that stall's vent."

One of the brethren he didn't know practically dove in to the stall, returning with the phone in hand, "I found it."

"So it was true," Jude huffed out, his voice heavy with a mix of disappointment and anger.

On the other hand, Precht's expression held no emotion, his voice cold as he simply commanded, "Take him."

To maintain his act, Gray fought against the two brethren as they charged forward to grab him by his arms, hoisting him up and dragging him from the room, "Let me go!"

He gave Lucy a quick and discrete look in passing, one that meant a thousand different things. It was a wish of good luck, a plead for her to stay strong and safe, and a thank you for fulfilling his favor.

There was really no turning back now. The rest of their plan depended almost entirely on Natsu, and Gray had faith that his best friend would follow through.

Natsu and Elfman had searched everywhere for Wendy, but still, there wasn't a trace of her. They'd been to every hospital, sanitarium, and care center in Magnolia, but her name wasn't on a single patient registry.

It was as if she'd just dropped off the face of the earth, as if Zeref had tucked her away, never to be found again.

Natsu refused to let that happen though. He was still storming Zentopia tonight, but until then, he would use every second he had to search for her. He'd given Jet the clear the publicize the content on Wendy's voice recorder tomorrow morning, and once the whole world knew about Zeref's cruelty, he had confidence that wherever Wendy was, someone there would step forward to let him know that she was safe.

He practically tore his pocket trying to get his phone out of it when it started ringing, his heart leaping when he saw that it was an unknown number. The last time he'd received a call from an unknown number it'd been his sister, and that call had been one of the best phone calls he'd received in his life.

"Hello?"

"Is this Natsu Dragneel?"

His brows furrowed when he realized that the person on the other line kind of sounded a lot like Lucy, his words rushed as he answered, "Yeah, that's me."

The voice on the other side of the line was hushed and just as hurried as his, "I don't have much time, so listen to me closely. Your sister's safe."

His eyes went wide.

"Who-" he cut himself off when he decided that that wasn't most important question, instead choosing to ask, "Where is she?"

"She's at the Zentopia Sanitarium."

"Wait!"

The other line had already gone silent.

While he was more than relieved to know where his sister was, her whereabouts hadn't done much to set his heart at ease. She'd been taken to Zentopia, a place of torment and suffering. He told himself that those wretched people wouldn't dare to lay a hand on the Governor's sister since he was one of their allies, but when he thought about it, Zeref might've given them the clear to do whatever they pleased with her.

Which gave him all the more reason to storm the church and tear the place down.

He dialed Loke's number before pressing his phone to his ear once more, his eyes scanning the starlit sky above him.

"Hey. Where are you?"

"I have a favor to ask of you."

"What's up?"

"I'm about to leave for Zentopia." Natsu took a deep breath, his lips pressing into a grim line, "If you don't hear from me by six o'clock tomorrow morning, go to Mest and report me missing."

Loke's tone grew panicked, "Wait, Natsu. Don't go on your own. Let's just…Let's meet up and talk things out. Where are you?"

"Lucy and Gray are waiting for me. I can't let them down."

"Natsu, w-"

He hung up before tucking his phone into his pocket, swinging a leg over his bike and sliding his helmet over his head before twisting the keys in the ignition.

It was time to make good on all the promises he'd made.

AN

We've finally got our set up for the final chapter!

I hope you're all having a Merry Christmas! Eats lots of food, spend time with loved ones, chill out and relax, or do whatever you like to do most!

Thanks for reading and see you Friday!